There are many technologies and methods to help us navigate the trails, but moving around on a bike is about so much more than getting from point A to point B.

 

“Maybe wayfinding is an activity that confronts us with the marvelous fact of being in the world, requiring us to look up and take notice, to cognitively and emotionally interact with our surroundings whether we are in the wilderness or a city, even calling us to renew our species’ love affair with freedom, exploration, and place.” - M.R. O’Connor

  We talk about:

Planning routes in advance [12:18]

Navigation and a sense of control [15:35]

“Artifacts” and how we use them to navigate [18:32]

What is “wayfinding” [21:57]

Skillfully self regulating through uncharted territory [24:43]

Obstacles to accessing your skills when uncertain [29:38]

Being mutual with your environment [37:31]

Navigation and memory (and London cab drivers) [45:58]

Reading the trail [51:15]

Referenced in this episode:

Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate the World by M.R. O’Connor

The trails Wasatch Crest (including “puke hill”) and The Whole Enchilada

The tools Trailforks and MTB Project

Transfer: Managing Uncertainty with this Learning Technique

The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter

Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke

Totemic geography

London cab drivers and their hippocampi

Let’s connect!

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